Albert Camus writes two parts within The Stranger to illustrate the difference in Meursault's belief's and realizations between being arrested. But to show this difference, Camus must parallel these halves in order to take out any variables. In my reading, I found two examples of these parallelisms and one example of a difference in Meursault.
1.) Similar description of the old ladies. Camus describes them quite grotesquely, creating a horrendous image of what those women look like.
"Almost all the womean were wearing aprons, and the strings, which were tied tight around their waists, made their bulging stomachs stick out even more. [...] I couldn't see their eyes, just a faint glimmer in a nest of wrinkles" (9).
"A little thin-lipped old woman dressed in black and a fat, bareheaded woman" (70).
2.) The Arabs are only known as "The Arabs." Camus only presents them based on their ethnic appearance. He never gives names to any of the Arab characters.
"The Arabs were walking slowly, but they were already much closer" (51).
"The murmuring of the Arabs continued below us" (72).
3.) Meursault is shifting his happiness in unexpected patterns. When he shoots the Arab, he knows that his happiness is gone, but in jail, his is oddly content.
"Apart from these annoyances, I wasn't too unhappy; Once again, the main problem was killing time" (75).
"And it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness" (57).
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